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School construction pauses briefly following worker’s death

By: Chuck Slothower//June 3, 2024//

School construction pauses briefly following worker’s death

Chuck Slothower//June 3, 2024//

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A Clark County, Washington, ironworker died Saturday after being severely injured Thursday at the Benson Polytechnic High School construction site, in Northeast Portland.

Samantha “Sam” Deschenes was 33. She is survived by a 9-year-old son.

Deschenes was hit by a forklift on Thursday, and suffered injuries to vital organs, according to a fundraising page set up for her family. She was in a coma in a local intensive care unit but succumbed to her injuries on Saturday.

Oregon Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the incident, agency spokesman Aaron Corvin said.

“Preliminary information indicates that it was an accident involving a forklift,” he said.

No more details will be released until the investigation is complete, Corvin added.

Andersen Construction, the general contractor for the Benson overhaul, suspended work “in the interest of the health and well-being of our team members,” it announced in a prepared statement. “We are working with safety and health officials as part of the accident review.”

On Monday, Andersen Construction regional Vice President Brian Knudsen stated via email, “We will resume work tomorrow after a safety stand-down first thing in the morning at the jobsite.”

Deschenes joined Ironworkers Local 29 in June 2020, according to her Facebook page.

“It is with great sorrow that we confirm the loss of one of our members due to injuries sustained in a jobsite accident,” Ironworkers Local 29 expressed in a prepared statement. Spokesman Lorne Bulling said the union had no additional comment.

Deschenes supported the charity To Write Love on Her Arms, an organization dedicated to helping individuals who are struggling with depression, addiction, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide.

Andersen Construction stated it is setting up a fund for the family and will match donations.

“Our primary focus is helping Sam’s family as well as providing mental health support to our team members,” the company stated.

The main school building opened in 1917 and supplementary ones were added to the campus over decades. During the modernization project, existing structures are receiving seismic retrofits, and three new buildings are being added to the campus. Construction began in 2021 and is expected to wrap up before school resumes in the fall.



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